Page 21

21

Wyatt

“ S he’s what?”

I blink, stunned by Jax's revelation. The fog swirls between us, and a chill runs down my spine that has nothing to do with the morning air.

I just wanted to find out what was going on, not kidnap her.

“I couldn’t leave her there, Wyatt. That pack, there was such a weird vibe. They're all afraid. That pack…" Jax's face contorts with disgust. "You should have seen it. The pack members move around like they're afraid of their own shadows, speaking in whispers, eyes downcast.”

That’s not right.

"No one would talk to me directly. I pretended to be there on Dean’s behalf. Top secret, of course, checking up on Naomi's background because she’s made it so far. They didn’t really say anything, but…”

Jax looks nervous.

“But what?” I press, needing to hear it no matter what it is.

“It… There are rumours that Maddie’s mate’s death wasn’t an accident. That she killed him.”

I wasn’t expecting that.

Jax shifts his weight from one foot to the other before he comes closer and lowers himself onto a fallen truck to sit, hands now resting on his knees.

I don’t sit. I just stare at him, my pulse ticking faster as my instincts brace for impact.

Jax drags a hand through his messy hair, jaw clenched tight. “Maddie’s tiny, Wyatt. I mean, a stiff wind would blow her over tiny. I was asking around, and… nobody thinks she could have done it alone.”

The words hit like a punch to the gut.

I blink. “What?”

Jax lifts his gaze from the ground to meet mine, looking just as rattled as I feel.

“Maybe it was self-defense.” His voice is steady and careful, like he’s already anticipating my reaction. "Brad's brother was..." He exhales sharply. "Rowan was a monster, Wyatt. That's what they all said, though never above a whisper. The pack healer, an older woman named Elise, pulled me aside when no one was looking. Said Maddie came to her at least twice a month with injuries she couldn't possibly have gotten by accident."

Jax's eyes darken. "And when I asked why no one stepped in, Elise just looked at me like I was na?ve. 'You don't cross the alpha's family,' she said. 'Not in this pack.'"

I don’t need the details to know what that means.

He beat her, at the very least, and maybe worse. Shifters have accelerated healing powers. He must have been doing it regularly for anyone to have noticed marks.

I’ve seen it before. Not all matings are happy ones. Some bonds are a death sentence, traps disguised as fate. Just ask Dean Reynolds’s mother.

Anger burns in my chest, hot enough that I have to clench my fists to keep my wolf from surging forward. If Rowan were still alive, I'd kill him myself. My wolf growls in agreement, bloodlust surging through our bond.

Naomi.

She'd been trying to get Maddie out of that pack for months. No wonder she was desperate enough to enter the Alpha Games. Her sister's life was literally at stake, and Brad was holding all the cards.

“So Naomi moved there to convince her sister to leave…” Jax continues. “But what if she couldn’t?”

Did she take matters into her own hands? She is strong enough. My mind drifts back to her powerful wolf, a wolf that could go up against even the strongest of males.

If Jax is jumping to this conclusion, then everyone else will, too.

“The pack says Brad has been giving Maddie a hard time, punishing her for what he suspects, and they think she’s gone moon mad, that the pain of his death, and the abuse now by her alpha… I couldn’t leave her there. Anything could have happened.”

Is she moon mad? It wouldn’t be the first time a wolf’s mind had fractured after losing their mate. Naomi might be too close to her to see it or want to admit it.

And now Maddie’s here. Brad’s leverage is gone.

“You’re a good man, Jax.”

He smiles and shakes his head. “You can remind Dean and Blake of that when they come for me over this.”

“Feign ignorance. You merely generously invited a competitor's sister when she expressed an interest in coming to watch her compete. Nothing wrong with that.”

Jax barks out a laugh, then gives me a dark smile. “Unless she is a murderer and is moon mad. Then I’m definitely not getting out of this one.”

"How about this?" I say, clapping him on the shoulder. "If I win, I'll offer you sanctuary, and you can come live with me. Maybe a new place with fewer memories will help settle your wolf. A fresh start."

I picture my future territory, a place where outcasts and misfits can find a home. Where wolves like Jax, with scars and traumas, can heal.

"I'll even build you a bunker above ground. With windows," I add, remembering how Jax keeps himself locked in a basement when his wolf gets too wild. "Natural light does wonders for the soul."

Jax looks taken aback and coughs before he speaks. “It might come to that if this goes down the way I expect it to.” He looks up at the brightening morning sun and sucks in a deep breath. “So, stay the fuck out of trouble until you have this competition in the bag.”